"We ... are ... the ... divas (stomp clap, stomp clap) of D-S-T!"

IF YOU GO

What: Greek Step Show presented by T-N-T Productions Features: Eight competing step teams from historically black fraternities and sororities from the Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland areas; the Columbus East High School marching band; youth steppers from the W.E.B. DuBois Academy in Over-the-Rhine; Cincinnati R&B group Protege Judged by: Representatives of the nine historically black fraternities and sororities, who will rate the teams on showmanship, precision, execution, creativity and uniformity Prizes: First place, $2,500; second place, $1,500; third place, $500. The money goes back to the organizations' community service activities or scholarships. When: 6:30 p.m. Saturday (doors open at 5:30 p.m.) P&G Hall, Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., downtown Tickets: $15-$20 in advance; $20 at door. Available at (513) 621-2787, www.cincinnatiarts.org or the Aronoff box office. Information: www.ohioclassic.com

So begins a routine that eight members of two Cincinnati-area alumnae chapters of Delta Sigma Theta sorority will perform at one of the largest Greek step competitions in the Midwest Saturday night, bringing eight Ohio teams to the Aronoff Center for the Arts.

The show is part of a weekend full of festivities associated with the P&G Ohio Classic, the centerpiece of which is Saturday's football game between Grambling State and Bethune-Cookman at Paul Brown Stadium.

The kind of stepping that will be showcased Saturday has nothing to do with the Chicago-bred style of swing dancing that's also called stepping, recently popularized in the R. Kelly song "Step in the Name of Love."

This is a rapid-fire form of dance marked by synchronized stomping, clapping and chanting, and is an important part of the black fraternity and sorority experience, says 27-year-old Ligaya West of Hartwell, an Ohio University graduate who works for Accenture, a management and information technology consulting firm.

"It's definitely fun," says West, the primary choreographer of the routine that the group will perform Saturday. "It's a team-building activity. And you also get to represent your organization as well as just show your creativity and skill."

Highland Heights resident Latosha Ellis, a 25-year-old Midland Co. employee, says she joined Delta Sigma Theta because of the 91-year-old sorority's involvement in the civil rights and women's rights movements. Stepping was a natural extension of the sisterhood she found there.

"We bond together," says Ellis. "It's fun to get on stage and perform, and in the event that we win, we'll have bragging rights."

They're using samples of popular hip-hop songs at the beginning and end of their routine, but it's unlike anything you'd see at a club.

"There's a vast difference between hip-hop and stepping because in hip-hop, it's pretty free-flowing," explains Yasmine Smith, 24, of North Avondale, a Tuskegee University graduate who works for P&G. "If you're stepping with a team, everybody has to be uniform so you have to make sure every movement is very, very precise."

In fact, team members are uniform down to their uniforms. The Cincinnati-area Deltas don't want to give away what they're wearing Saturday for competitive reasons.

"Our theme is hot and that's all I can really say," West says. "We're going to be hot."

Freaking or show dogging: A part of a step routine that occurs when someone breaks the synchronization and unity.

Retrospect: A step that celebrates a fraternity or sorority's history or favorite steps.

Stepping hard or hard stepping: A rapid and intense form of stepping.

Trade or signature step: A step that embodies the character of a fraternity or sorority and is nationally known by all its chapters.

Tribute or salute: To imitate the steps or style of another fraternity or sorority in a positive way.

Source: Soulstepping: African-American Step Shows, by Elizabeth C. Fine (University of Illinois Press; 2003)

• Stepping originated on college campuses in black fraternities and sororities in the 1940s. It likely evolved from a pledging ritual called "marching on line," in which pledges demonstrated their allegiance by donning their fraternity or sorority's colors and walking together across campus.

• Stepping has African roots, but also has European and American influences.

• Stepping also has been called blocking, demonstrating, hopping, marking and stomping.

• Spike Lee's 1988 film School Daze marked the first widespread exposure of stepping to the general public.

• White rapper Vanilla Ice based his 1990 hit "Ice Ice Baby" on Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity's signature chant "Ice Ice."

• The first nationally syndicated stepping contest, S.T.O.M.P., aired in 1992.

• The Howard University chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha stepped at President Bill Clinton's inauguration after appearing in a Foot Locker commercial in December 1992.

• In 1994, Howard University held the first national championship step show, in which the winner received $2,500.

• Today, step teams can be found in Latino and Asian-American fraternities and sororities; in elementary, middle and high schools; and in church and community groups.

Source: Soulstepping: African American Step Shows, by Elizabeth C. Fine (University of Illinois Press; 2003)

E-mail lbishop@enquirer.com